Meet the Phoebe Family

One of the great joys of my visit to the ranch in Alabama's Hurricane Valley last month was watching the progress of a  nest-full of newly-hatched Phoebe birds.

    Here are Mom and Dad Phoebe surveying their kingdom, on the hunt for bugs every waking hour of the day.

Looks like Dad found some kind of juicy little morsel...

"Over here, Dad!"

No wonder Mom and Dad are so busy!  Apparently there are three little beaks to feed in the sweet little nest perfectly nestled into the corner of the front porch eaves!

A new day has dawned and it looks like Mom found an especially delectable winged thing for breakfast...

Dozens and dozens of bugs later, it looks like this nest is getting a little too cozy.  No pushing in the back!

Another day goes by and babies are spilling out over the edges. Wait, what's this? I'm counting FIVE hungry beaks to feed!

Good thing Mom and Dad have boundless energy and the meadow has boundless bugs.  Back to work, Mom!

You must be so proud of your beautiful family...

On our last morning at the ranch we awoke to find the nest empty.  There was a tiny tug at my heartstrings as I clearly remembered the feeling of having my own nest suddenly empty as my son flew down the road with a brand new driver's license and wheels instead of wings. It's a very sweet and precious sorrow.

Birds Count - Count Birds!

artwork copyright Susan Faye all rights reserved

The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today!

It's an annual four-day event that starts today, Friday, February 15. You can count birds for as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. Important: the number you report is the total highest number of a particular kind of bird that you see at any given time.  For example if you are watching for a period of 30 minutes, and at one time you see 3 chickadees all at the same time, and later you see 8 chickadees all at the same time, you would report seeing 8 chickadees (not 11).
 


 Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you only count birds that you are familiar with and can positively identify. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. Click here to learn  How To Participate

Feeder Report, or, What I Did on Art Lady's Vacation

hello everybody. buttonwillow cat here. 

 

art lady is sleeping in this morning, so i am going to write today's blog and tell you what is going on around here.  art lady abandoned me 12 days ago  for something called a 'vacation' but first she let this other cat into the house.  WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?

i don't know who this is, but all she  wants to do is eat what little food i have and sleep in my chair.. i am not pleased.

then art lady left.  we were abandoned. except that aunt mary came once a day to dole out rations. the rest of the time we had to fend for ourselves.  so i cooked up a plan.  with the other cat's help, we mixed up some super-duper bird bait and filled the bird-bait boxes outside. (art lady calls them "bird feeders"; when it's obvious that they were designed to be cat feeders, if you get my drift).  then we waited, licking our chops.

first, one bird showed up.

then he invited some of his closest friends.

 

then they invited their closest friends.

that other cat and i couldn't believe our good fortune.  

our bird bait was a big success.

  

then more birds arrived.

 

pretty soon every tree was filled with squawking birds. 

 it was so loud that it hurt our tender pink ears.

 

i said, "hey, somebody call alfred hitchcock.  this is getting ridiculous".

at some point the bird bait ran out and we noticed that the birds were still looking mighty hungry. 

it was about that time that the other cat and i decided to call the audubon society and see if there were ever any reports of small cats being carried off by large flocks of angry black birds.

it was just then that the birds started swooping down and.....wait, what's that i hear? must be art lady coming down the hall and she looks a little cranky. guess i'd better wrap this up fast and wish you all a

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!!!!

love and fishes, 

buttonwillow

Blessed Are The Things With Wings... Part 1

Words and images copyright 2012 Susan Faye. All rights reserved.

May not be reproduced in ANY form, including electronically, without express written permission of the artist. Thank you for respecting this policy with regards to ALL artists--it's good karma!!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

And that means it's time for Gardenkeeper Tiana to get busy-- you see, she has a thing for things with wings.

So much so that every corner of her freshly blooming garden is designed to attract ANY creature lucky enough to have the gift of gravity-defying flight.

First she must clean and repair the things to please the things with feathered wings: bird feeders and bird houses and bird baths placed strategically near tall trees and bushy bushes so that even the smallest of tweeters will feel safe.

[click here for Yard Envy's great tips for Attracting Birds to Your Bird Feeder]

Then it's time to fill the tiny pond to attract things with iridescent wings: the dragonflies and damselflies. Tiana uses a wooden half-barrel to create a mini-pond in a corner of her garden, complete with lily pads and lotus flowers.

[click here for the National Wildlife Federation's tips on Attracting Dragonflies to your Yard]

Next she is planting lots of sweet-smelling and brightly-colored herbs, perennials and flowering shrubs to lure the nectar-seeking things with wings. Pink and red blossoms seem to be a particular favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds.

[TheButterflySite.com has lots of great tips for creating a butterfly garden, with lists of butterflies for each state. Click here for more information: Butterfly Gardens


Also, she has planted a small grove of dwarf citrus trees for the busy buzzing kind of winged thing, because orange blossom honey is her favorite.

[For a list of honey flavors you may have never heard of, visit the National Honey Board's article on Honey Varietals]

And finally, this year she hopes to attract the fuzzy mammalian type of winged thing. Yes, she has hung a several bat houses around the garden and is keeping her fingers crossed...you see, there is one winged thing that Tiana does NOT want in her garden: the whining, biting kind. According to Bat Conservation International, a single bat can capture 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour!

[click here for the National Wildlife Federation's article on how to Build A Bat House]

"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful". ~Abram L. Urban

Spring Break Vacation Alert!

It's true. Songbirds, geese and whales may be heading north this time of year, but I am heading SOUTH next week on the first day of Spring. I'll be leaving six months of soggy Northwest gloom behind and will be hoppin' down the bunny trail in search of sunshine and desert wildflowers and cottontail cuties. I am delirious with anticipation.

Have I mentioned that one of my favorite things to paint is desert flora? Not to mention desert fauna... I hope to come back with a camera full of reference photos for brand new watercolor paintings and a surplus of vitamin D in my system!


I will be closing my SusanFaye Etsy shop and my CurioCabinet Etsy shop on the evening of Sunday, March 18 and will re-open the shops nine days later on Tuesday, March 27. All orders placed by tomorrow (except for special request items) will be shipped by Tuesday. My Imagekind and Cafepress shops will remain open.

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BIRD FEEDER REPORT

Studio assistant Buttonwillow will be staying behind to enjoy a "stay-cation" of cat-napping and bird-watching. We are happy to report that more birds are showing up around the yard of our new house including TWO Northern Flickers! They have been enjoying some suet that I had placed in a front tree/shrub.

Mrs. Flicker posed nicely on the fence across the street...

While Mr. Flicker was on the move foraging for bugs on the ground...

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Save some green today and tomorrow, March 17 and 18! Receive 17% off your entire purchase from my SusanFaye Etsy Shop today and tomorrow... just use coupon code SAVEGREEN17 when checking out (if you forget to enter the code, don't panic-- drop me a line and I'll send you a Paypal rebate). Discount does not apply to wholesale listings.

Weather Report

The garden fairies have been up to a little mischief in the yard of our new house here in McMinnville, Oregon!



First of all, here is the big surprise that has popped up all over our new front yard... Dozens and dozens of petite yellow daffodils!!!


But that wasn't enough. Just for fun, the garden fairies wanted to add a little icing to the cake, so to speak, and here's what we woke up to on Wednesday morning:

...A light frosting of dancing snowflakes...

Perhaps a reminder that although Spring is just around the corner, don't put away the knit cap and gloves just yet!




Look quickly and you might actually see the fairies in their frilly yellow skirts with their snowy white wings, taking flight from the garden...!

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FEEDER UPDATE

Good news! You might remember my disappointment several weekends ago during the Great Backyard Bird Count, when only one lonely chickadee showed up for the entire weekend.

Well, as anyone with a new bird feeder in a new location knows, one happy bird is all it takes to "prime the pump". Word has gotten out and now we have a whole flock of chickadees AND a whole flock of dark-eyed juncos that are regular diners!

Not to mention sightings of a song sparrow, a western scrub jay, and a few starlings... Pretty soon they'll be lined up at the door!

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NEW IN MY ETSY SHOP!

As I continue to sort through stacks and stacks of artwork in my new studio, I have decided to sell more of my original artwork, including these two garden fairy paintings.

Surprise your favorite Garden Goddess or cat lover with the gift of original art-- or better yet, treat yourself!

Each original painting was drawn with pen and ink, then painted on Arches 300 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper with professional quality watercolor paints. The actual painted area measures 6.5" x 4.5" . Each is matted in an 11 x 14" double matting, ready to frame in a standard size frame. Click on either image for more information, or click here to see all of my original art for sale: Original Art on Etsy

Both images are also now available as fine art giclee prints on Imagekind. Click here for more information on purchasing these as prints: Garden Fairy Prints

Thanks for visiting!

On The Way To Depoe Bay...

...Dave and I spied:

A stormy sea with giant waves, plumes, and sprays...

Quiet coves with zen rock gardens...

A lucky crow with a treasured treat...

...which was NOT going to be shared with any tourists passing by...

...The prerequisite ocean vista seagulls...

..including one who was particularly jaunty...

And the prettiest fur coat I've seen all winter!

The reason Dave and I were traveling down the Oregon Coast was to deliver some of my creative goodies to a brand new shop opening in Depoe Bay called "Gifted".

Located smack dab in the center of Depoe Bay's waterfront row on Highway 101, the boutique will feature the art and handcrafts of regional and Northwest artists. Owner Karry Blodgette is excited about her grand opening on March 1 and I was thrilled to get a sneak peek at all of the GORGEOUS collections that she will be featuring including glass, wood, fiber arts, pottery and more! I'm very excited that my jewelry and lavender sachets will be part of the mix. Stop by if you are lucky enough to be on the Oregon Coast this spring: "Gifted" is located at 14 North Highway 101 in Depoe Bay.

Click here to see some beautiful Chamber of Commerce photos of Depoe Bay, The Whale-Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast.